Hesperia Playa El Agua Hotel

very nice hotel...food was great...bungalows were nice...enjoyed the beach alot... the only minuses to the hotel are : 1 bar with usually only 1 bartender so you had to wait for drinks...dinner, all male subjects could not wear tank top type shirts but females were exempt which i thought was kind of stupid... the other thing was the beds were very hard.... other than that it was great and i would go back there in a heart beat.... we really did love this place ...not much to complain about if you go just enjoy it...

it was amazingly cool!!!! we went on the landcriuser trip and the delta canaima trip both were fantastic. food is brilliant, a la carte isnt as good as the normal restuarant if you are goin try playa caribe coctail and narrenja frappe both very tasty

Have just returned from 2 weeks at Hesperia Play el Agua, got back yesterday (19th august) we were a party of 8 in 2 families of 2 adults and one 10 year old and 2 adults a 13 year old, 11 year old and 9 year old. I have been to all inclusive resorts in Mexico which were fantastic this hotel compares favourably to them. I would say don't expect Mexican standards but then again the mexicans have been at the all inclusive game for a lot longer but you wont be dissapointed. Firstly the good points: You will get a clean well run efficient hotel which provides good service, comfortable accomodation ( especially the bungalows which we stayed in) and plenty of fun. The bungalows each have a small pool in the centre of their small complexes along with sun loungers and seating unfortunaltly you have to get drinks from the main or beach bar ( such a hassle). these pools are big enough to swim in and safe enough for the kids plenty of shade under the trees, but watch for the man eating ants in the grass ( god they sting) The main pool is massive with a shallow area for the kids with waterfall and larger area for swimmers. Drinks are available from the bar along with snacks. Again spotlessly clean, plenty of shade and sun loungers available. It can get a bit noisy around here but nothing excessive after all its mainly kids playing. The best pool is the top pool near to the tower blocks and it is fantastic, broken into 3 areas with waterfalls running into each. It is deep enough to swim in but not particuarly large. a soft drink bar is nearby and its amazing what cocktails you can make without alcohol yum. very safe area for the kids and nice to be able to chill and read a book. We ate at the buffet restaurant most nights and found the food to be more than acceptable with plenty of variety for most people, yes they used some of the leftovers for soup etc but nothing you wouldn't do at home and the food was always well prepared and presented. The waiters were reasonably attentive but if they dont come to you just ask they will always get you a beer or wine ( although i cant honestly recommend the wine, it should have a health warning) We also tried the al a carte and again the food was excellent and well presented, the staff were happy to ply you with spirits as well. We also ordered a lobster here and had the biggest ( and one of the best ) i'd ever had 8 of us ate a 3 course meal with 2 bottles of wine and plenty of spirits after for about 250,000 bolivars (about a $100 or £71) We did a couple of trips and can recommend the landcruiser trip around the island it was fantastic, we swam with dolphins which was a bit dissapointing after doing it in mexico but good fun, We also found a waterpark about 10km from the hotel cost 6,000 bolivars in a taxi. The kids loved it spotlessly clean, well run and cheap food inside. It cost $12 to get in i throughally recommend it. The bedrooms were spotless of a good size and plenty of bottled water provided. The maid we had was so sweet she looked after us very well, ok the couple of dollars a day tip probably helped but as she was only earning about $25 a week i really didn't mind. Now the downsides. Its hot and humid in August but you can't blame the hotel for that! The beach is a little cramped and the sea isn't that clear ok for splashing about in but you do need to watch the kids. We all suffered a tummy bug for a few days but i honestly think it was more to do with the 10 hour flight from the UK and the heat rather than anything we ate or drank ( possibly with exception of the coco loco's which seemed to come in rather large quantaties!!!!) The biggest moan is the bar near the pool it is the only bar there and the queues are ridiculous, they mainly have one guy working it two if you are lucky but they serve snacks as well and it gets a lengthy and drawn out process getting drinks. You end up double or trebble ordering which really on serves to make the queue longer. They do need to do something about that. My only other moan was we asked for a picnic one day as we wanted to go out only to be told picnics are only available to replace breakfast, which seemed rather daft to me. All in all i would recommend the hotel and resort we had a fab time and would deffinatley go back. if you go make a point of going to Jaun greigo for the sunset it is like nothing i have seen before Fabtastic we also had a fantastic meal there in a little restaurant on the beach the staff were great ang again 8 of us ate seafood and had more than enough to drink all at a cost of $100. Don't be fooled by some of the moans you read on here its a great place just dont forget you are in Venezuala not Britain or the US. Smile have fun like the locals. More than happy to provide more info if any one wats it just drop me an e-mail.

My husband and I with several of our good friends visited the hotel for 7 days. We had a wonderful time overall and the employees were very friendly. The food was excellent upon arrival but became monotonous after several days. The pool was absolutely beautiful as well as the grounds. When we arrived, we did not have hot water in our room. After calling the front desk, someone arrived within 20 minutes to fix the problem. The problem that we encountered came about at checkout when we received our bill. A charge appeared on our bill for $13.00 for a towel that the hotel claimed that we stained. The hotel brought us the towel after a long dispute which the stain happened to be aloe. We had to take the towel to the bathroom ourselves and show that if the towel had been washed the aloe would have come out. We eventually got a refund for the towel but after a long hassle for us. The other recommendation we would give to the hotel would be to put some fans in the dining area. At night in Venezuela, it is very HOT and HUMID! Overall, the vacation was very fun and something I will always remember!

We have just arrived back from this Hotel and have had a really enjoyable time. We stayed in one of the bungalows on the complex which are situated in the well kept gardens. I would recommend staying in the bungalows as they are quite roomy with excellent bathrooms. The maid service was extremely good with sheets changed daily along with the supply of bottled water. The food was OK but gets a bit monotinous after a time. The pasta at lunchtime was good! Due to the location of the Hotel I would also recommend that you venture out the complex to the nearby bars and restaurants and sample a few of the local menus. Even though you are fully inclusive I found it nice to go out and experience a bit of the real Margarita. On the subject of location this hotel seems to be the best on the island as most of the hotels we visited on the way to pick people up for trips were very isolated. All in all I could not fault the hotel in any department and as for the cost, this holiday is great value for money.

Me and my friend, both 25 spent a week at the hesperia hotel during the week of March 29. I'll break everything down for you but overall I just want to say this resort has everything and if you go you will love it, it's perfect and beautiful. HOTEL: beautiful, a few different pools, we were in the tower room #1, which i did read some negative reviews about however the rooms were very basic, no bathtubs, and no mini frigde, which was our main complaint, just bring a large glass and fill it with ice before you go back to your room. no balcony but we had a huge sliding bay windsow with an amazing view of the mountains and senery. there are no ocean views because of where this resort is situated but we could still see the ocean from our view. The resort is pretty big and consists of towers or many small individual bungalows, there is a cage with tucans, monkeys that will make faces at you, and a huge turtle, there are also a few parots and chickens that roam the grounds. there is a gift shop, and beauty salon. The main lobby has a couple waterfalls outside and looks really inviting. by the main buffet there are some shrubs sit in those chairs for a few minutes and you might see th eiguana that hides out in there, right by the beauty salon. FOOD: we only ate at the buffet and found it to be enough of a variety, my friend ate eveything and didn't have any problems, there was always made to order eggs or omlettes for breakfats with all the fixings sausage, bacon, toast (omg toasters are sooooo slow) croissants, fresh fruit and fresh juices, for lunch the buffet had veggies, potatoes, rice, fruit, buns, chesses, tons of meat fish, hamburgers, fried bananas (sweet) and for dinner there was a guy grilling steaks, porkchops or fish to order, with all the fixing potatoes, rice, veggie dishes, buns and at dinner they had anoth area where there was a specialty being made one night pasta another tacos, let me say i am probally the pickiest eater out there, not big on milk and a vegetarian, i found stuff to eat, there is alot of meat in there foods but there are always roasted potatoes or rice, and veggies, also at night theres a sundae bar and fruit and desserts, they have orange, gingeral and coke pops as well, i ate alot of tomatoes and bread but i expected that as i know im sooo picky. also the main pool has a restaurant at the bar during the day just go to the bar and order from the bartender, they have hamburgers, BLT's, amazing filling chesse pizza's and chesse sticks all of these were really good and a change. ENTERTAINMENT: can't really comment on this as we were in bed early most nights which is weird were young and love to party, but after gettign up at 6 each day and laying in teh sun all day we were tired, they do have abig stage and they set up chairs, another ngiht they had a singer playing guitar and everyone was dancingto salsa by the pool that was really fun, DRINKS were really good and no shortage of booze in them eathier, like other resorts bring a big cup, we had a pineapple and coconut cup everyone got a kick out of them. porlamar has a senor frogs we never even made it there but i heard it was alot of fun. SHOPING: we made the mistake of buying form the beach vendors they charges 20,000 bolivars for a necklace, do not buy from them you can get it for 10,000 in town, this resort has a taxi stattion by the main lobby and cabs always available for you, usually at 15,000 bolivars a ride which is nothin in us. there are 2 main towns JUAN GREIGO AND PORLAMAR, juan greigo has good shopping nike, roxy and adidas are big down there, clothign and shoes pretty cheap, this town is the olden town vibe you can really feel like your in a different country, theres about 5 main streets with stores all along, the PORLAMAR is wher ethe action is, the place is boomin looks like young street, lots of shopping here its a blast, also if you have the money ther eis a huge mall i think its neamr Porlamar, its way more advanced than any mall i have ever seen didn't stay here for long, and our last stop was the flea market in porlamar, this was the best shopping by far, its opened everydays from 8:30 till around 3, very cheap and they have everything, sheet sets, towels, shoes, sandals, shirts, pants, jellery, make up its outdoor but all covered, i swtiched 200 us and coulsnt spend it all and beleive me im a shopper. MONEY: when yo go down to the beach, across from the beach bar, you will find a few people one named Yanitza or something like that find this lady and she will hook you up, you may also see her holding a siign selling braiding for the girls, ask her about money exchange her friend (he may still be wearing our canada visor) will give you 2500 bolivars for one us dollar, which is the best deal you will get, me and my friend both switched 200 us and went back and switched another 80 later, you can pay for cabs and the beach vendors in us if you want, most items are around 20,000 for souveners or necklaces etc on the beach, in town you can get it for half, the braiding is really good there, negotiate with Yanitza you can get you natural hair baraided the whole head for 25 us my friend got it and still has it so its lasted 2 weeks, i however had really thick hair and got extensions really long ones my whole head done for 80 us which is 5X cheaper than canada or the us, and it only took 2 hours for me, my friend was done in half hour, we tipped them 10 us each, they do the hair right on the beach so you have stuff to look at while your waiting LANGUAGE: spanish, and verry little english, but the vendors on the beach will write you the amount in the sand and they try really hard to understand you like we do them "ola"is hello, ädios"is good bye ägua"is water "mucho alcohol"hahha we used that one alot, if you tell the vendors you will buy from them tomorrow they will be waiting fo you, there are many of them and it gets pretty annoying just be firm and say no gracias. BEACH/pools: the other reviews are right the beach is sooo gorgeous palm trees all along, but sooo rough you can only wade, however this can be fun, im a strong swimmer and big and i couldn't go out very far, the red flag wil stay up the whole time, hesperia has a small section of sun shades and chairs, there was never a problem gettign one, we laid in the sun a couple of days there and waled around the beach to get the vibe but spent most of our time by the pools, the pools are great, by our tower #1 there was a good size pool, not deep though with a waterfall and these taps there was about 6 of them that drenched you under this bench you sit on its was refreshing and we spent alot of time there, also by this pool is the juice bar, freshly made juice or pop and water all day , the main pool is big has a kids area (theres also a little play ground and a kids activity centre) i guess it was deep but we never went in it as we liked our quieter pool bette for the day time, all the activities during the day and night are around the main pool which is just off the buffet, all pools were warm enough for swimming, there was also 3 other smaller pools by th ebungalows which were quiet, unlike other resorst you could always get a spot somewhere, we reserved ours early but you didnt have to at all. WEATHER: i guess is never or rarely rains here, the days are hot and the nights cooler, perfect weather if you ask me, sun very hot between 1-3 so out of a whole week our only coplaints were the beach was rough not the hotels fault and no fridges in the rooms, also the air was tricky to work everytime you opened the door it would turn off but there is always a breeze at ngith and the windows are huge. we loved the hotel i highly reccomend it, there really i somethign for everyone young, old, with kids, family etc... staff are really nice and omg they must work like 12 hours or more a day because there always the same staff doing the same things, theres like a million gardeners in overalls in the hot weather. There are mountaisn everywhere and the scenery is amazing. most beautiful place i've ever seen p.s there are many excusrions all the usual jungle, catermaran, snorkeling etc we never made it to any we just soaked up the suna nd shopped. im rambling but trying to be informativeif you have any questions e-mail me daizedandconfuzzed@msn.com and if your going IM SOO JEALOUS!

We stayed at this hotel for three nights last week (april 2005), in a bungalow. It cost $61 a night per person, all inclusive (we had not booked, we just walked in off the street)..it was the first time we have done "all inclusive" and we enjoyed it. the room was great, good air con and safe. the food in the main dining area was great, the a la carte very similar with a limited choice on the menu. We were a bit disappointed that there was only one bar to choose from in the evenings - by the main pool. you have to drink from plastic cups which rather reduces the feeling of luxury when sipping cocktails...we found it hard to feel the effects of the alcohol when drinking the cocktails, we had loads and just couldnt get drunk !! which made us think that maybe the alcohol content is not as much as it appears when they splash it in unmeasured...none of the signs are in english and most food menu's have prices against them which confused us into thinking that some items were not included in the all inclusive plan -but this was not the case, its all included. You can get pizzas and sandwiches by the pool at any time which are good. The "activities" are a bit limited - two table tennis tables which can be used before 6pm only, three tennis courts and a volleyball court on the beachfront...poolside bingo seems to be the highlight of the day ! However there are plenty of sun loungers,umbrellas and tables..it was so hot (34 degrees and pure sunshine every day) that it was not really an option to be too active. the hotel staff speak very limited english but we got by ok. the beach front is lovely but lots of traders trying to sell to you.the best place to change your dollars to bolivars is at the gambios at the far right end of the beach (looking at the sea) in a blue hut - they give the best rate of 2500 bolivars to the dollar (the offcial rate is only 2135) it makes best financial sense to pay for everything in bolivars. We stayed elsewhere for the earlier part of the week and have just got to mention how cheap everything is - a 25cl bottle of Polar beer is 1000 Bolivars (30p), we hired a car for 5 days (£90) and fuel is 2p per litre, yes 2p - it cost less than £1 to fill our small hire car up...food is also very cheap - a hot snack and fruit juice for two on the beach front was less than £2.00 ! Dont venture to Porlamar, its a dump and someone tried to steal my camera from around my neck on the beach,which left me injured but luckily i kept hold of the camera...

REVIEW OF HESPERIA PLAYA EL AGUA BEACH RESORT: We returned from a 2 week stay at this resort on Feb. 2/05, there were many positives to this trip and a few negatives. The weather (which we went for) was fantastic (actually hotter than we needed!!) FOOD: The food at this resort was definitely good, something different every night, we only ate at the ala carte once and it was o.k. but didn't feel drawn to go back the second week. The beef is not tender as we are accustomed to but the chicken, pork, turkey, lamb, fish was always good. There was always recognizable veggies (cauliflower, brocoli,carrots, baked tomatoes,) there was always rice dishes, potatoes, and salads and breads. There was a problem with flies around the salads and breads, the hotel kept the bread/buns covered with tea towels but people would take bread and not always recover with the towels. The salads were plagued by flies too and the 2nd week the hotel set up a huge fan to blow over the salads which did seem to help. The desserts at night were delicious and numerous. Breakfasts and lunches were always very good, the homemade soups available at all meals were very tasty. There were a few days when our tummies were happy to have only soups. RESORT: The resort grounds were attractive and well maintained and kept spotless. It felt very safe, there were numerous security visible at all times. The 2 entrances to the resort were guarded and no one could enter without a resort bracelet. There was a couple of tennis courts and a massage area just off the main pool area. There was a pool bar open from 11 a.m. till around 2 a.m. and it was actually the only place to go to socialize after the evening meal and entertainment (which was just off the main pool area as well) We were discouraged from leaving the resort after dark and we didnt but some of the younger crowd ventured out to discos on the beach and to Porlamar and had a fine time and did not feel unsafe. The resort has a caged area which houses a few pet monkeys and some tucans and parrots, turkeys (with chicks), and cats (many) roam freely around the resort. We saw a few decent size fluorescent green iguanas as well. There is an internet access just off the main lobby, very reasonable $2 u.s./hr., and they have 3 or 4 reliable computers but they are always very busy!! ACCOMODATIONS: The resort has 4 towers which house regular hotel-like rooms, some do not have balconies. One of the towers is a time-share and quite impressive from reports of a couple who stayed in one of the penthouse suites I think it was the #1 tower. The bar by the pool area by the towers does not serve alcohol. The rest of the resort is all bungalows, and gives the impression of a little village with walkways and streets throughout and there are 3 sets of bungalows that each have a pool in the center for their use. These are the preferred bungalows and they number in the five, six and seven thousands. The bungalows across the street from these are numbered in the eight thousands and do not have a pool.(we prefer the beach anyway, and you could always go to the main pool which was maybe a 3 or 4 min. walk away) The room we had was roomy and clean and there was always hot water. The closet was huge. We had a sliding patio door facing the back wall of the resort (we were closest to the beach) It was noisy at night with music from the beach but we got used to it and it didnt go on all night. Our friends had a villa right beside us in the same bungalow unit and it had a full kitchen, sleeping area, and a seperate pull out couch. We did not have a fridge but we bought a cheap styrofoam cooler and ice and were fine with that. BEACH: The sand is firm and soft and the beach is beautiful, you can walk about 2 1/2 miles from end to end. There are many many bars, restaurants all along the beach. The beach is not good for swimming, it is too rough. The area always has a red flag alert up. The lounge chairs belonging to the resort are pretty comfortable but difficult to get one unless you are at the beach to reserve by 730 a.m. and I really did not care for the shade umbrellas they put over the lounges, they are low to the ground and you have to crawl in under them and there isnt a lot of space to spread out in the sun, you sort of feel like sardines lying side by side by side. The sun is basically done at that section of the beach by 330 pm. There is a beach bar open from 11 am till 6 pm., there are no washroom facilities at the beach,unless you use facilities in one of the restaurants.. They start to put the lounge chairs away for the night by 5 pm. The vendors are a constant but not aggressive in any way. OTHER STUFF: There was a street to cross coming out of the resort grounds to get to the beach. Along that street there was a lot of restaurants/bars and general store shopping places, there were taxis available there and at the front entrance of the resort. You can exchange $ on the street or at the $ exchange place. There are tour booking places along the street and places you can make long distance calls. We used the one set up on the beach to call home it isjust to the left of the stairs down to the beach and they were great and hassle free and reasonable. There is a couple of other internet places on the strip but not as reliable as the resort. There is a fair size flea market at the far right end of the street, probably about a ten minute walk at max. There are the usual variety of beach vendors but they are not nearly as aggressive as what we have experienced in Mexico. We booked a jeep tour with “Ray” who is positioned at the top of the stairs to the beach and saved about $10U.S. per booking and had a great time with our driver “Hector” who speaks perfect English and is a fun guy!! Didn’t care for some of the adrenalin provoking jeep maneuvers but then again we have grandkids we wanted to see agin!! NEGATIVE STUFF The hotel only allows one key to be given per room, this can be quite inconvenient if you are not attached at the hip to the person you are sharing the room with!! The suggested solution by the resort is to always turn your key in at the lobby for your room mate to have access to. This was not an option as we were at least a 5 minute walk to the lobby being at the far end of the resort. Not necessarily a negative but be prepared to put down a $15 deposit for each towel and $15 for a remote control and $50 for the safe as well as $2 / day for its use. There were many days that there were no large towels available (only small ones) for the pool or beach, so we kept our large damp towel many times. There was quite a bad septic smell at our end of the property most days. There was quite a horrible smell of ???rotten fish??or sewage? on the streets. The streets are quite dirty and people use them freely as toilets. With the intense heat it can be unpleasant. There are many packs of “wild” dogs, that will lie under the shade of your lounge chair, they didn’t seem aggressive with the people, just looking to get some shade I guess. We got a little too friendly with one of the resort’s security , offering him cerveza and cigs the first night he was on duty and found him waiting for us the next a.m. (off duty) and wanting cigs and $$ from us, he was a little unnerving as he hung around most of the morning and even when he was told to move on by the beach security hired by the resort , he just went and sat a few feet away staring at us and motioning us for cigs. It was a lesson well learned. We had a few pairs of earrings and necklaces (not worth a fortune but….) stolen from our dresser one night when we were out to supper and evidence that our bed and towels had been used while we were out!! It was an inside job as our door was locked. All in all it was a good holiday and we would not hesitate to recommend the resort, the weather was great, the food is fine, rooms were clean, the beach is great to walk on and the scenery is breath taking. We feel we made the best choice available.

Second trip to South America, first to Rio De Janario and than to Venezuela and I must say Margarita Island is the top one. I found the people of the island so very friendly and always a delight to speak with. There really was no language barrier for the most part. Our hotel was the Hesperia Playa El Auga and I really liked it here. There were 4 towers and my friends and I got split up, but I lucked out and got the better deal. I was in tower 1 and had the second largest pool in front, my room was so large (dble of my friends) and my maid was the best. Their room had an odor and we were not sure of what. It smelt like a heavy cleaner product. They ran out of bottled water, I didn't. Food was very good at the buffet, but all meat was in some sort of sauce or gravey. This is ok for me since I am not big on meat. The al a carte was ok. The Saturday b-que there was terrible. The resort had everything you needed and you really didn't have to leave. What we liked was the fact that it had it's own taxi stand and internet cafe. After hearing horror stories of other tourits getting food poisoning at their resort, I would highly recomment this one. It was beautiful, well maintained and very tourist friendly, great if you have kids. On a scale on 1 to 10 I would have to rate my stay in Venusuela an 8. Enjoy if you go. Brenda,Canada

My husband and I just got back from a 2 week stay at Hesperia Playa El Agua, and definitely recommend this place, especially for younger couples. We stayed in one of the towers, as we reasoned that we would not be in our room long enough to want to pay extra for a bungalow. The room in the towers are fine - just get one with a balcony. You control your own AC, which is great since it actually gets chilly in the room! There is a TV with 2 english channels. Many of the reviews posted said that the towers were soooo far from the beach & pools. This is SO not true. The beach is a 4-5 minute stroll and the pool about 2. Rooms were very clean, and staff great. The food was fine - a selection of meat and fish every day with side dishes. We never got sick, and we tried everything. The variety may not be terribly wide, but it is good value for the money, and everything is well prepared. The hotel is located on the Playa El Agua. This is good for people who want to go out after the evening shows. The hotel show performers actually take interested guests out almost every night to the El Agua bars to dance which is lots of fun. Other resorts on the island like Lagunamar are more isolated, so you have to take a taxi to Porlamar to enjoy the nightlife. The staff were amazingly friendly, especially if you went the extra mile to chat with them and try out some spanish. There is a fantastic pool bartender who made some of the best drinks we'd ever had! The only big downside that we noticed was what we called the "Beach Chair Mafia". Many hotel guests would arrive to the beach at 6am to claim chairs, but would then go to breakfast and sometimes not return until 10am, leaving many empty chairs and other guests sitting on towels. We even saw a couple of fights break out as latecomers tried to claim chairs. To avoid this fracas, we walked south down the beach and there are some great spots with no tourists that you can have all to yourselves. In short, Hesperia Playa el Agua is a great place for active people who want a great beach location with proximity to other activities. Highly recommended!